British Columbia is one of the most diverse provinces in the westernmost territory of Canada with a strong economy. Forestry and mining are the primary sources of occupation there. However, through British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP), the government over there is trying to attract business persons or trained workers from different nationalities under skilled and entrepreneur immigration streams to boost up its economy.
So, all those skilled and experienced internationals who are interested in working in British Columbian companies can fulfil their dream through any of the following categories of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). After receiving the nomination from BC PNP, foreign nationals can apply for permanent residence in Canada. Remember, there are hundreds and thousands of immigrants who move to British Columbia and successfully lead a healthy lifestyle there.
Different streams of British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP):
When it comes to immigration to British Columbia, British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) offers many choices to immigrants to enter the province easily and quickly. Two major categories are Skills immigration and Entrepreneur Immigration. Both get categorized into further sub-categories or streams.
Skills immigration:
Undoubtedly, it is the most popular category among immigrants, and as a result, it attracts a large number of registrations every year under its different streams. However, no one can deny the fact that the screening process for applicants is not so easy.
- Skilled Worker Category
- Health Care Professional Category
- International Graduate Category
- International Post Graduate Category
- Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category
Entrepreneur Immigration:
As stated above, the economy of the province primarily revolves around common assets only. So, there are high requirements for entrepreneurs in BC to develop or set-up new job opportunities for citizens over there.
- Entrepreneur Category
- Strategic Projects Category
Eligibility criteria for British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP):
Skilled worker category:
All the competitive workers who have high aptitude and have a job offer from British Columbian employers can immigrate to British Columbia (BC) through this stream.
Eligibility requirements include:
- An applicant must have a job offer letter from the BC employer
- He/she must have at least two years of working experience in the skilled occupation
- He/she must be able to fulfill every duty assigned to him/her
- He/she must be qualified to move to British Columbia lawfully
- He/she must possess a language proficiency test like IELTS, TOEFL etc
Health Care Professional Category:
Under this class, individuals related to the healthcare industry like nurses, doctors, medical attendants, mental medical take care and more can apply for BC PNP. Undoubtedly, the demand for health care professionals is quite high in BC which increases their chances for immigration.
Eligibility requirements are:
- An applicant needs a job offer from a public authority includes
- Doctor
- Specialist
- Enlisted Nurse
- Enlisted Psychiatric Nurse
- Attendant Practitioner
- An Allied Health Professional
- He/she must have at least two years of working experience in the applied activity
- He/she must meet all other prerequisites to the offered job
- He/she must possess a language proficiency test like IELTS and TOEFL if required anywhere
International Graduate Category:
Under this category, all interested graduates who have gotten graduation or Bachelor’s degree from a Canadian university in recent years (past three years) and wish to settle in Canada with Permanent residence status can apply.
Eligibility requirements are:
- An applicant must have a full-time job offer from a British Columbian employer or firm
- Job title must be in National Occupational Certificate (NOC) list
- He/she must meet all other prerequisites of the offered job
- He/she must possess a language proficiency test like IELTS, TOEFL etc
International Post Graduate Category:
Under this category, applicants who have gotten Masters or Doctorate degrees in health science or applied sciences from a Canadian university in recent years (past three years) and wish to settle in Canada with Permanent residence status can apply.
Note: applicants under International Post Graduate Category don’t need occupation letter from British Columbian employer.
Eligibility requirements are:
- An applicant must be eligible to immigrate to British Columbia with legal status
- He/she must score 4.5 in IELTS (Language proficiency test)
- For occupations come under NOC level 0 or A, no language test results are essential
- He/she can entitle for any of the following occupations:
- Horticulture & Agriculture
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
- Engineering
- Engineering Technology
- Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research
- Physical Sciences
Entry Level and Semi-Skilled Worker Category:
Under this class, applicants who have just started their professional career or possess a semi-skilled qualification in a particular occupation category can apply to BC PNP through this category.
Eligibility requirements are:
- An applicant must have at least nine months of working experience in any of the following industries – tourism and hospitality, long-haul trucking, food processing.
- He/she must keep up his/her job with respective British Columbian employer during the entire procedure of the PNP as well as the PR process.
- In the case of the long-haul trucker driver, he/she needs a minimum of two years of employment experience as a long-haul truck driver in the past three years.
Entrepreneur Category:
Under this class of entrepreneur immigration, all eligible business owners who are interested in investing and operating a commercially viable business in British Columbia can apply.
Eligibility requirements are:
- An applicant needs to show the personal net worth of at least $600,000 including cash, assets in bank accounts, fixed deposits, real properties, investments etc
- He/she needs to show a minimum of three years of experience as an active business owner or manager with 100 % ownership in the business in the past five years.
- He/she needs to submit a business concept which can create at least one new job in the proposed B.C. business
- He/she needs to show a personal investment of $200,000 (in Canadian dollars) ineligible expenses. For proposing a key staff member, the investment requirement increases to $400,000 and the job creation to three.
Strategic Projects Category
Minimum Requirements for Companies:
To be eligible under the BC PNP Strategic Projects category:
- The company must be in excellent financial health
- It must identify new investment opportunities in British Columbia
- In general, successful corporate applicants must have at least 150 staff members and annual revenues of at least $20,000,000.
- It must demonstrate the presence of qualified senior employees as key employees who are well-versed in establishing and operating the business
- It must make a minimum equity investment of at least $500,000 to establish or purchase and expand an eligible business in British Columbia.
Minimum Requirements for Key Staff Members
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program allows the entry of key staff members, who are eligible for immigration status in Canada through this class. However, there are some restrictions for;
- all those who are prohibited from entering Canada, or;
- are living, working in Canada without authorization, or;
- have an unresolved refugee claim in Canada
How British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) works?
Some BC PNP classes like Health Care Professional Category, International Graduate Category and International Post-Graduate Category linked up Federal Express Entry program. Applicants who registered under these streams or classes are applicable for both PNP and Express Entry program; however, they must need to qualify requirements for both programs.
Moreover, there are some BC’s streams which are under Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Under this framework; potential candidates submit their profiles for evaluation on some personal credentials like offered job in British Columbia, language proficiency, previous working experience and more.
By registering profiles to the SIRS, applicants are making an Expression of Interest or Invitation to apply to the BC PNP. After evaluation of applications, BC PNP conducts draws to invite the highest-scoring registrants for provincial nominations.
How to apply for British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) with countrywide visas?
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